The BVG Class H is a type of

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

train used on the

Berlin U-Bahn The Berlin U-Bahn (; short for , "underground railway") is a rapid transit system in Berlin, the capital and largest city of Germany, and a major part of the city's public transport system. Together with the Berlin S-Bahn, S-Bahn, a network of ...

, Berlin's underground

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

system. They were the first new design of wide profile trains introduced after the

fall of the Berlin Wall The fall of the Berlin Wall (, ) on 9 November in German history, 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, marked the beginning of the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain, as East Berlin transit restrictions we ...

and have been in use since 1996. It is the first model to allow passengers to freely walk through the entire length of the train, as opposed to having multiple closed off compartments.

History

After the

reunification of Germany German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of i ...

, the

Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe The (German: 'Berlin Transport Company') is the main public transport company of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It manages the city's (underground), trams in Berlin, tram, bus transport in Berlin, bus, replacement services (EV) and fe ...

(BVG) saw an urgent need for more trains, as well as a new, more uniform model for both the

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

and the

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

to use. Thus, in order to replace the D, DL and E classes, they placed an order for 115 new trains in 1992, which was later reduced to 26, with 20 more to be delivered at a later time. The first test runs of the new trains were held from 1996 before serial delivery began in 1997.

Features

Unlike other wide profile trains, the H class trains only feature longitudinal seats, a feature usually found in small profile trains. It was also the first model introduced in Berlin to feature open gangways, allowing for free movement through the whole length of the train. The interior colours are mainly white and yellow. The BVG Class H trains were the first trains in the Berlin U-Bahn subway system to have the automatic next station announcement system and visual next station information led bar display. The interior advertisement lcd displays were installed in the 2000s. Since the 2010s, the left of the two screens shows the next station's information. That feature was eventually installed in the rest of the Berlin U-Bahn subway fleet except for the BVG Class HK trains. Each of the batches of H class trains delivered received its own name, with the prototypes being referred to as ''H95'' and the versions of the two later, serial deliveries as ''H97'' and ''H01'' respectively. All individual trains also received a serial number in the format of ''5xxx''. They were ordered from and manufactured by

Adtranz Adtranz was a multi-national rail transportation equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the US. The company, legally known as ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation, was created in 1996 as a joint venture between ABB and Daim ...

, ABB Henschel and Bombardier.

References

Berlin U-Bahn Electric multiple units of Germany 750 V DC multiple units Bombardier Transportation multiple units {{Berlin-UBahn-stub